Saline-lakes
Guides
Cenocorixa
water boatmen
Cenocorixa is a genus of water boatmen (family Corixidae) comprising approximately 12 described species. These aquatic insects are notable for their specialized swimming mechanics using synchronized hind leg rowing, and for their complex acoustic communication systems involving species- and sex-specific stridulatory signals. Both males and females produce sound by rubbing specialized pegs on the fore femora against the head. The genus exhibits significant ecological research interest regarding feeding niche partitioning in sympatric and allopatric populations, with some species inhabiting saline lakes.
Centropagidae
Centropagidae is a family of calanoid copepods comprising 14 genera and over 130 species. Members occupy diverse aquatic habitats including marine coastal waters, freshwater lakes, and saline lakes across the Southern Hemisphere, with notable concentrations in Australia, southern South America, subantarctic islands, and Antarctica. The family exhibits significant habitat diversity: marine genera include Centropages, Dussartopages, and Gladioferens; freshwater genera include Boeckella, Calamoecia, and Hemiboeckella. The genus Boeckella poppei represents the only terrestrial/freshwater invertebrate reported from all three main Antarctic biogeographic regions (subantarctic islands, maritime Antarctic, and continental Antarctic).
Ephydra
brine flies, alkali flies
Ephydra is a genus of shore flies (Ephydridae) with cosmopolitan distribution. Several species are notable for inhabiting extreme environments, including hypersaline lakes and hot springs. The genus includes the alkali fly (Ephydra hians), which forms dense populations in alkaline lakes such as Mono Lake, California, and serves as a critical food source for migratory birds. Larvae are aquatic or semi-aquatic, with morphological adaptations for feeding and respiration in mineral-rich waters.
Paracoenia
shore flies
Paracoenia is a genus of shore flies (Diptera: Ephydridae) found in aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats. Species within this genus are associated with thermal springs, saline or alkaline lakes, and pond margins. Larvae develop in moist substrates at water edges, while adults and larvae feed on microorganisms including filamentous blue-green algae. The genus serves as an intermediate host for parasitic water mites and has been studied as an indicator of ecosystem stability in thermal environments.